Smoke fills the air from the Hawk Fire Aug. 22, 2026, in northwet Reno, Nevada. (Image credit: Shane Merritt via AP)
Headlines about wildfires and bad air seem to be ubiquitous this summer, along with their climate-change kin: heat waves, heat domes, and drought. But important wildfire stories don’t always garner big headlines in big media venues, perhaps seeming too small in scale, too localized, too subtle, too complicated. Right now, though, in what we might call peak wildfire journalism season, a good number of such stories can be found.
As prologue, this piece offers a valuable context for reading about fires and understanding what does and does not count as news: “Wildfires: why media coverage doesn’t always make the climate connection.” Doug Specht, The Conversation.
Deep dives
The next five pieces are longer essays or commentaries that range widely through information and ideas, often but not always written from a personal point of view.
